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FUNKADELIC FRIDAY: YOU DON’T HAVE TO BELIEVE IN CLIMATE CHANGE BUT . . . THE CLIMATE IS CHANGING!

Well, if there was any doubt the United States of America is being lead by someone who is not living in the land of reality, the actions of June 2, 2017 when President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement confirmed it. The following information that I am going to share with you is from the Earth Science Communications Team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory | California Institute of Technology; https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/ Site Editor: Holly Shaftel; Site Manager: Randal Jackson; Senior Science Editor: Laura Tenenbaum. Site last updated: June 1, 2017.

“Global climate change has already had observable effects on the environment. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering sooner. Effects that scientists had predicted in the past would result from global climate change are now occurring: loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise and longer, more intense heat waves.”

Change will continue through this century and beyond

Temperatures will continue to rise

Frost-free season (and growing season) will lengthen

Changes in precipitation patterns

More droughts and heat waves

Hurricanes will become stronger and more intense

Sea level will rise 1-4 feet by 2100

Arctic likely to become ice-free

U.S. regional effects

Below are some of the impacts that are currently visible throughout the U.S. and will continue to affect these regions, according to the Third National Climate Assessment Report2, released by the U.S. Global Change Research Program:

Northeast. Heat waves, heavy downpours and sea level rise pose growing challenges to many aspects of life in the Northeast. Infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries and ecosystems will be increasingly compromised. Many states and cities are beginning to incorporate climate change into their planning.

Southeast. Sea level rise poses widespread and continuing threats to the region’s economy and environment. Extreme heat will affect health, energy, agriculture and more. Decreased water availability will have economic and environmental impacts.

Midwest. Extreme heat, heavy downpours and flooding will affect infrastructure, health, agriculture, forestry, transportation, air and water quality, and more. Climate change will also exacerbate a range of risks to the Great Lakes.

Southwest. Increased heat, drought and insect outbreaks, all linked to climate change, have increased wildfires. Declining water supplies, reduced agricultural yields, health impacts in cities due to heat, and flooding and erosion in coastal areas are additional concerns.

For those of us who are over 40, we know that there are drastic changes taking place in the environment locally and worldwide. It is up to us to take these issues seriously and make changes that will make positive advances in this battle against global warming. Many of us don’t have finances to move from one country to the other so we must take care of the place we call home. Go to http://www.nationalgeographic.com to see how the Paris Reversal isolates the United States from the rest of the world.

Get the children involved. Go to https://climatekids.nasa.gov/how-to-help/ for more information.

EVERY MOMENT IS A TEACHABLE MOMENT! EVERY MOMENT IS A LEARNING MOMENT!